Rotary engine.



4PATENTED MAY '7, 1907. W. M. GENTLE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 13, 1906.

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No. 852,950; PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. W. M. GENTLE. ROTARY ENGINE.y APPLIOATION FILED DBO.13, 1906.

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ATTORNEY. I

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' No. 852.950. PATENTEE MAY 7, 1907.

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ROTARY EN NB.

AEPLIOATION EILED 3.1906.

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l A TOR. v I rlliamm Gentle PATBNTED MAY 7, i907.

W. M. GENTLE.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIQATION FILED DBO. 13, 190e.

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VILLIAM M. GENTLE, SOUTHPORT, INDIANA.

Specication of Letters Vlatent.

,RoTARY'ENeiNE.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application le December 13,1906. Serial No. 347,606.

To all, 'wh/0m) t may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM M. GENTLE, of Southport, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Rotary Engine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide a very simply constructed, durable and eflicient rotary engine.

One feature consists in providing a substantially solid Wheel that is substantially as wide as the chamber in which it operates.

Another feature consists in providing ports for the admission of steam that are opened, closed and registered by the wheel itself, so that valve and valve mechanisms, which complicate and embarrass most rotary constructions, are needless.

Another feature consists in providing exhaust ports in the casing near the periphery so that they all exhaust substantially all the time and relieve the wheel completely of the retarding influences of nonexhausted steam.

long with the foregoing another feature of the invention consists in providing abutments movable into and out of the chamber in which the turbine wheel is mounted in substantiall y a radial direction and which always is in engagement with and ridesupon the pe riphery of the wheel. A steam inlet port and an exhaust port are provided in the casing in connection with each of said abutments, one port being at each side of saidabutment.

In addition to the foregoing another feature consists in providing a steam chamber separated. from the chamber in which the wheel operates and to which steam is introduced and providing a disk rotatable with the wheel with an annular chamber in it adjacent the partition between the main steam chamber and the wheel chamber with which the ports entering the latter chamber through said partition register and through which disk ports lead to the annular chamber.

Another feature of the invention consists in combining with said disks centrifugally controlled shut-offs for regulating the supply of steam to the steam chamber and making said governing mechanism adjustable.

The foregoing will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a pivoted abut-l ment. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the hand lever and adjacent means for setting or adjusting the governor mechanism. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 3 there is observed a casing formed of two sides or members 10 and 11 that are joined by screws 12 and 13 and in said casing a horizontal shaft 14 is mounted. Said casing forms a steam-tight chamber and suitable packing 15 is provided at the bearings of the shaft to assist in making said chamber steam-tight. And there is also a nut 16 and a washer 17 at each bearing, and on each end of the shaft there is a pulley 18. Drain-cocks 20 and 21 are provided in the lower part of the casing. There is also a partition plate 22 separating the chamber in said casing into two halves, said plate being clamped into position between the meme bers 10 and 11 of the casing. A wheel 25 is keyed on the shaft on one side of said partition plate 22 and a disk or plate 26 is secured on said shaft on the other side of said plate. lhe` wheel 25 extends entirely across the chamber in which it is located, its'sides forminga comparatively close ljoint with the inner walls of the casing and the partition 22 and the disk or plate 26 also forms a close joint with said partition 22. 'Ihe chamber 29 in which the wheel 25 is mounted may be called the wheel chamber and the chamber 28 in which the disk 26 is mounted may be called the steam chamber, for steam from some suitable source is supplied directly to said chamber through the steam inlet port 27. Steam passes from the chamber 28 through two holes or ports 30, see Fig. 3, into an annular groove that is formed in the disk 26 on the side adjacent the partition 22 thus forming an annular chamber 31. vFrom said annular chamber 31 the steam passes into the wheel chamber throughports or holes 32 that extend through the partition 22. rIhere are four of these holes or ports, as shown in lOO Fig. 1, arranged equidistant from the center of the shaft 14 and so as to register at all times with the annular chamber 31 which is also concentric with the center of the shaft 14. While four ports 32 are shown there is no particular limit as to number. There are also, in the machine herein shown, four exhaust ports 33 extending through the right hand member 10 of the casing. They are equidistant from each other and near the peripheral wall of the steam chamber. There is one exhaust port for each steam inlet port 32 and arranged relative to each other as shown in Fig. 1.

VThe wheel 25 is formed as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. It is preferably a solid block with the periphery thereof recessed at four equidistant points about the wheel so as t'o form what may be termed a movable abutment 35 and an inclined or eccentric surface 36. The abutment 35 is almost radial and it projects outwardly into relatively close engagement with the peripheral wall of the chamber in which it is located. This abutment 35, and the eccentric surface 36 on the wheel, together with the side and peripheral wall in which the wheel is located form what may be called. a steam chamber that is at times during the revolution of the wheel filled withsteamfrom a p ort 32. Said ports 32 are so located that, as said wheel 25 revolves in the direction indicated by the arrows, they will open into said steam chamber until cut off by the inclined surface 36 as shown. Pivoted but relatively stationary abutments 40 project through the peripheral wall of the wheel chamber into engagement with the peripheral surfaces of said wheel. These abutments are mounted on arms 41 pivoted at 42 to the inner surface of the member 10 of the casing. Said abutments project through a wall 43, it being a plate that constitutes the end peripheral wall of the steam chamber 29, inasmuch as said chamber is cylindrical and the members 10 and 11 and the casing and partition are rectangular as shown in Fig. 1. This construction leaves chambers at the right and left hand ends of the casing in which the arms 41 are mounted. The abutments 40 are held in engagement with the wheel by flat springs 45 bearing against the arms 41, said springs being secured at one end by screws 46 and the tension of them adjusted by screws 47 extending outside of the casing to permit of external manipulation. The wheel is also provided with a series of grooved ports 48 located inthe side of said wheel adjacent the partition 22 leading from a point somewhat in advance of the abutment 35 and adapted to register with the ports 32, as the wheel revolves, and extending to the abutment surface 35 so as to discharge into the steam chamber. The relative arrangement of the ports 32, grooves 48 and exhaust ports 33 is such, as shown, that steam is discharged all the time through at least two of the steam ports 32 and is exhausting through all of the exhaust ports all the time. W'hen steam is introduced into the machine it passes through the ports 32 that may be at thetime uncovered, as shown in Fig. 1, or that may be in registry with the grooves 48, into the spiace between the revolving abutment 35 and non-revoluble abutment 4() and thereexpands, forcing the abutment 35 away from the abutment 40 and thus cause a revolution of the wheel. As the wheel revolves and the abutment 35 moves away from the abutment 40, the inclined surface 36 of the wheel 25 will gradually cut across the port 32, as shown in two places in Fig. 1, until it entirely cuts across and closes said port, as shown in the other two places in Fig. 1. This occurs at the end of about one-eighth revolution of the wheel 25. During this part of the process while the steam is entering the exhaust ports that are associated with the inlet ports through which the steam has been entering and are behind the abutments 40, are exhausting the steam. from the space behind said abutments so that it will not retard in -any manner the action of the incoming ste am in propelling the wheel. After the steam port has been cut off, for a moment the steam which has entered expands and then the further movement of the wheel covers and closes the inlet port 32, whereupon the steam which has just entered and. has done its work begins to exhaust and continues to exhaust until the next abutment 40 is reached. The abutments ports and associated parts in the machine shown are arranged in pairs the simultaneous acting pair being diametrically located, but as soon as the steam through one pair of steam ports ceases, steam enters through the other pair and thus 'the wheel is kept constantly re volving.

.lt is to be observed at all times when steam is entering on one side of an abutment 40, steam is being exhausted from the other side of the abutment 40. Also that'all the exhaust ports are so located that they exhaust all the time practically and their action is direct and immediate. Likewise the entrance of the steam through the ports 32 to the wheel chamber is direct and immediate and therefore all valves and valve mechanisms are dis# pensed with.

The grooves 43 are provid ed in order to cause steam to enter the wheel chamber before the abutment 35 reaches the port 32. This causes the wheel 25 to pass over what might be `called the center or period between the times when the steam would otherwise be shut off and turned on. This also permits the entrance port 32 to be located in advance of the abutment 40 which would hardly be possible without the groove 48 as there would hardly be room enough between said abutments 35 and 4() when the latter abutment first vdrops down against the wheel, in the position shown at the upper left hand 4corner of Fig. 1, for the location of the port 32. lt is to be observed that there is an exhaust port and an inlet port associated with each abutment 40 one on each side thereof and as closely located to the abutment as is convenient.

The governor mechanism is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 7 and 8. As seen in Fig. 3 a centrifugally acting kplate 5() is pivoted at 51 to the rotary disk 26 and under the action of ccntrifugal force is moved so as to gradually close the port 32. lt moves or operates under a guide-bar 52 and is normally held away from said port by a spring 53 adjustably connecting with one arm of the bell crank lever 54 that is fulcrumed at 55. Said bell crank lever is held in position by the rack-bar 56 that is voperable through a hole 57 in the shaft 14. A similar mechanism is provided for each port 32 so that there are two rackbars 56 operable in opposite directions. Both rack-bars engage a toothed end 59 on a setting shaft 60 that is mounted centrally in the main shaft 14, as appears in Fig. 2. It has a groove 61 in it into which a set-screw 62 extends'to prevent the escape of said setting shaft. Said setting shaft lis turned by a hand-lever 63 on the vouter end thereof and it is held in its turned position by a paWl lever 64 that is pressed by a spring 65 into engagement with notches 66.

The adjustment is accomplished by turning lever 63 so as to move the rack bars 56 and actuate the bell-cranks 54 in such Way as to either increase or diminish the tension of the springs 53. lf, for illustration, the springs 53 are so weak that centrifugal force causes the plates 50 to reduce the ports 32 and diminish the supply of steamto too low a speed for the wheel, the tension of the springs 53 should be increased so that said 'plates 50 will not be moved excepting by a greater degree of centrifugal force. If on the other hand the machine requires too great a speed before the governor acts, the tension of the spring should be diminished.

Vhat l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rotary engine including a casing with a chamber, a wheel mounted in the chamber with substantially radial abutments in its periphery, and removable abutments extending into said chamber and into engagement with the periphery of said wheel, said casing having an exhaust port near the peripheral wall of said chamber immediately behind each removable abutment, and a steam inlet port immediately in front of each removable abutment and nearer the center than the exhaust port.

2.. A rotary engine including a casing with a chamber, a wheel mounted therein with a plurality of substantially-radial abutments on its 'periphery locatedv eq'uidistant from each other and an eccentric peripheral surface extending from the inner end of one eral wall of said chamber and a steam inlet port in advance of each removable abutment and located so as to be gradually closed by the eccentric peripheral surface of said wheel, the various steam inlet ports not being located equidistant from each other so that the wheel will always be acted upon by steam either while entering or expanding, while all of the exhaust ports will be open substantially all of the time.

3. vA rotary engine including a casing with a chamber, a wheel mounted in said chamber with substantially radial abutments on its periphery and an eccentric peripheral surface extending from the inner end of one abutment to the outer end of the following abutment, removable abutments extending into said' chamber and spring-pressed into engagement with the periphery of said Wheel, said casing having an exhaust port at the peripheral wall of said chamber immediately behind each removable abutment and a steam inletport in advance of each removable abutment located far enough from the peripheral wall of said chamber to be gradually closed by the eccentric peripheral surface of said wheel, and the wheel having a passageway in its side near each abutment in the periphery thereof with one end of the passageway adapted at times to register with each inlet port and the other end discharging through said abutment, whereby steam will enter said chamber through a steam inlet port before said port is wholly uncovered by the wheel.

4. A rotary engine including a casing, a wheel mounted therein, a series of steam inlet ports through one side wall of said casing i that are equidistant from the center of the wheel, and an annular steam chamber adj acent said wall through which said ports extend and that registers with said ports.

5. A rotary engineincluding a casing with a chamber, a shaft extending through said\ casing, a wheel on said shaft and mounted within said chamber, a series of steam inlet ports through one side wall of said chamber and equidistant from the center of said shaft, a disk mounted on said shaft outside said chamber and adjacent the wall through Which said ports extend, and an annular steam supply chamber in said disk adjacent the casing wall and registering with all of said ports.

6. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition ra- IOO los

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dial with said shaft that forms two chambers within said casing, said partition having a series of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adjacent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition that registers with all of said steam ing from said steam supply chamber to said inlet ports, and having a port through it leadannular chamber.V

7. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers within said casing, said partition having a rseries of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adj acent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition that registers with all of said steam inlet ports, and having a port through it leading from said steam supply chamber to said annular chamber, and a steam inlet port in front of said removable abutment and centrifugally controlled means opening and closing the port in said disk. A

8. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers Within said casing, said partition having a series of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk ymounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adj acent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition that registers With all of said steam inlet ports, and'having a port through it leading from said steam supply chamber to said annular chamber and centrifugally controlled plates for opening and closing the port in said disk, and externally operated means for regulating said plates. 9. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough., a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers Within said casing, said partition having a series of steam inlet ports through it, a steam turbine Wheel mounted` on said shaft in-one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adjacent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adj acent said partition and that registers with all of said steam inlet ports, a pair of oppositely located ports extending through said disk into said annular steam chamber, a pair of centrifugally controlled plates for automatically opening and closing said ports, and externally operated means for regulating said plates.

10. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial With said shaft that forms two chambers Within said casing, said partition having a series' of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that it Will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adjacent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition and that registers with all of said steam inletrports and having a port through it leadingv from said steam supply chamber to said annular chamber, a governor plate pivotally mounted on said disk between said port and the center of the disk so that said centrifugal ports will cause it to close said port, and a spring that holds said governor plate normally away from said port.

ll. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers within said casing, said partition having a series of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adjacent said partition, said disk having anannular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition and that registers with all of said steam inlet ports and having a port lthrough it leading from said steam supply chamber to said annular chamber, a governor plate pivotally mounted on said disk between said port and the center of the disk so that said centrifugal ports will cause it to close said port, a spring that holds said governor plate normally away from said port, and means externally operative for regulating the tension of said spring.

12. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers within said casing, said partition having a.

series of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in `one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adj acent said partition, said disk having an annular chamberin the side thereof adjacent said partition that registers with all ofsaid steam IOO IIO

inlet ports having a port through it leading from said steam supply chamber to said annular chamber, a governor plate pivotally mounted on said disk between said port and the center of the disk so that centrifugal force will cause said plate to close said port, a spring that holds said governor plate normally away from said port, and meansfor limiting the movement of said governor plate.

13. A rotary engine including a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers within said casing, said partition having a series of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that it will open and close said ports, means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adjacent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition that registers with all of said steam inlet ports, and having a port through it leading from said steam supply chamber to said annular chamber, centrifugally controlled governors for opening and closing the port in said disk, and means extending through said shaft and externally operative for regulating said governor.

14. A rotary engine including a casing7 a shaft extending therethrough, a partition radial with said shaft that forms two chambers within said casing, said partition having a series of steam inlet ports through it, a wheel mounted on said shaft in one of said chambers so that itwill open and close said ports,

means for supplying steam to the other of said chambers, a disk mounted on said shaft in said steam supply chamber that lies adj a* cent said partition, said disk having an annular chamber in the side thereof adjacent said partition and that registers with all of said steam inlet ports, a pair of oppositely located ports extending through said disk into said annular steam chamber, a pair of centrifugally controlled plates for automatically opening and closing said ports, externally operated means for regulating said plates, a governor plate pivoted to said disk between said shaft and each of said ports for opening and closing said ports, a spring for holding each of'said governors in its open position, a bell-crank for each of'said springs that is pivotally mounted on said disk with said spring, a pair of rack bars extending parallel through said shaft so as to be movable with one end of each rack bar in engagement with a bell-crank, a rod mounted centrally in said shaft with one end geared in engagement with both of said rack bars and the other end extending beyond said main shaft, and means on the outer end of said rod for turning it in said shaft and locking it iny its adjusted position whereby the tension of the governor springs may be externally adjusted.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto afxed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named. f

WILLIAM M. GENTLE. Witnesses:

N. ALLEMONG, HELEN B. MCCORD. 

